was a secret Swedish intelligence agency
within the Swedish Armed Forces
. Its two main purposes were to handle liaison with foreign intelligence agencies and to gather information about communists
and other individuals who were perceived to be a threat to the nation. The exposure of the IB operations came to be known as the IB affair
The meaning of the name IB is not known with certainty. It is often said to be an abbreviation of either Informationsbyrån
(The Information Office, Information Bureau) or Insamling Birger
(Gathering Birger, after its director Birger Elmér
). This is, however, speculation, and neither name was in general use within the organization.
The key persons leading to the exposure of the IB were journalists Jan Guillou
and Peter Bratt
and their original main source Håkan Isacsson
.Bratt, P. Med rent uppsåt
, Stockholm (Bonniers) 2007 p.123ff The two reporters revealed their findings in the leftist
magazine Folket i Bild/Kulturfront
on May 3, 1973. The story was immediately picked up by many leading Swedish dailies. Their revelations were that:
- There was a secret intelligence agency in Sweden called IB, without official status. Its director Birger Elmér was reporting directly to select key persons at cabinet level, most likely defence minister Sven Andersson and Prime minister Olof Palme.
- That the parliament of Sweden was unaware of its activities.